Electric Bike Review: Ohm XS 750

Have you been looking for a high quality electric bike that will endure some off road/trail use? Well the Ohm XS 750 might be your ride…….just be ready to spend some money!

I have been able to put the Ohm through quite a bit of rough riding and get a feel for it’s strengths and weaknesses. The bike has been through sunny days, snow storms, paved paths, gravel paths, some trails, hills, stop and go traffic and everything else I could throw at it. My usual commute to work and around town includes a lot of hills (some areas are 10%+ grades) and windy areas as well.

Features of the Ohm XS 750

Here are the features of the Ohm XS 750. There is also a video below that goes over the features and you can get a closer look at the bike.

Overall:

Made for off road and road use. Not really rough downhill runs, but xc singletrack

Ergonomic frame, easy to step over design

Standard bicycle wheelbase

18.5 inch and 20 inch frame

Electric Components:

View of Ohm XS 750 Motor and Rear Disc Brake

Bionx 350W HT L series system (250W for Europe),well known, high end electric bike system

Pedal assist mode and throttle

4 different assist levels

4 regenerate (charging) levels for training mode or use during a long downhill

So What is the Ride Like?

This bike is smooth! That is to be expected when considering the high quality components that come on this bike. The bike is very quiet and it has a very high performance feel to it.

This is a mountain bike style electric bike so it has a lower, sporty positioning. For riding off road that makes sense. It also works well on the road, but it is not the traditional upright positioning of an urban electric bike. The stem can be adjusted to a higher height and you can always change the handlebars to be higher if you want.

The frame proved to be very stout and solid. The structure of the frame looks like it could be flexy, but I found that it is not. The battery’s low center of gravity was good for maneuverability too.

Bionx Display on Ohm XS 750

I am a fan of the Bionx electric bike kit and riding this bike for a while definitely reaffirmed that! The assist that you get from the Bionx kit is nearly seamless. What I mean is that it is basically silent and it has a way of giving you assistance in a way that makes you feel like you have a massive tail wind helping you along or a pro rider giving you a push up that steep hill. For someone who is an avid cyclist this is the kit that will make you feel like you are having the best day on your bike ever; all the time! Being a long time cyclist, I really like the pedal assist feature of the Bionx system. They do have the throttle button option, but I think the pedal assist feature works better because it makes you feel like a super hero on the bike 🙂

I do want to clarify that the Bionx kit on this bike is not super powerful. On the steep 10%+ hill the bike needed my help getting over the hill. It wasn’t a ton of pedaling effort but it definitely would have bogged down if I wasn’t pedaling.

The Shimano drivetrain is very smooth and precise like Deore XT is known for. This is a standard component group for mountain bikes and it is the second best group next to their XTR line up. The shifting is very crisp and can handle shifting under a lot of pressure.

The Magura disc brakes are rock solid and will stop you in a hurry if you need them to! They are hydraulic disc brakes and I found that they modulate (not just on/off) pretty well. They worked well in wet and dry weather.

The Magura front suspension fork and Suntour suspension seatpost really took the edge off of a rough ride. I knew that the Magura suspension fork would offer a nice ride, but I was surprised at how well the Suntour seatpost worked.

Shimano Generator Front Hub for Light System

The front hub generator light set up is nice. The front headlamp does a great job lighting the way and the rear tail light is noticeable.

The range? I have used the bike at the highest assist level (4) with light pedaling to my commute to work and around town. In my battery draining test I got 25 miles out of the battery. That was over hills, through headwinds, and carrying my usual 10 lbs. pack. That is a pretty extreme test and if you pedal more and use lower assist levels you can get more range.

Pros

Well, I have already mentioned some of things I like about the Ohm in the section above.

Overall I really like the way this bike is set up with the Bionx electric bike kit and a great mix of high quality components. The bike is quiet, has a smooth ride, and just feels like a bike that will last for many many miles.

The Bionx control console on the handlebars is very easy to use and it has nice graphics. It also appears to be high quality.

I like that there is a regenerative mode where you can charge the battery by using the rear brake or putting the bike into regen mode on the controller. The regen mode can be used if you want a workout on the way home or when you are on a long downhill and you want to recoup some of that energy to charge the battery. Basically the motor turns into a generator (resists instead of assists) to charge the battery.

I like the ability to easily take the battery off of the bike and carry it with you. This can be handy if you need to charge it at your workplace or home or coffee shop. This could also be nice if you want to use ride the bike without the electric assist and remove the battery weight.

Cons

There are not too many cons because this is a nice bike!

I have to say that price is a potential con. I think the price is justified based on the quality of the bike and it’s components. My concern is that this is a very expensive electric bike that could be very attractive to a thief. I personally was a little nervous leaving it locked up in some areas because I was concerned someone would try to steal it. If you are only using it as a recreational bike this may not be an issue for you.

Ohm XS 750 Battery Pack

When my wife rode the bike she noted that her knees occasionally hit the battery pack. The battery pack is fairly wide and it is positioned low enough where your knees could hit it. I personally never had a problem with it, but it is something to be aware of.

Every now and then I would accidentally hit the small throttle button near the right gear shifter. Once I got used to the layout of the controls on the handlebars this didn’t happen much though.

I would have liked to see an integrated light system that runs off the battery instead of the front hub generator system. The bike would be more efficient that way because some energy is lost through the generator hub making the electricity for the lights instead of being directly plugged into the battery.

Who is this electric bike for?

The Ohm XS 750 is an electric bike for someone how wants a high end electric bike that is well thought out and will provide many miles of transportation and fun 🙂 This electric bike can handle some off road trail use that most typical urban electric bikes would have problems with in the long run.

If you will be using your electric bike around town I would suggest you have a safe place to keep this bike or a BIG lock because it could be a very attractive to a bike thief.

Comments or Questions?

Please let me know if you have any questions about this bike.

Also, please keep in mind that this is a relatively short term test. This testing can’t really give you the long term review of durability and reliability. My thoughts on the quality of this bike are from previous experiences with similar bikes. If you own this bike and have some input on the long term durability, please share your comments with the Electric Bike Report community below.

Thanks for OHM review Pete, I would have the same fear of leaving it in a bicycle rack myself, no lock is safe from people with sticky fingers, and a battery operated Angle grinder. Presto your out $4,000. Dollars. A Modified Dahone Speed P8(20″ wheels + Bionx Pl 350 ( minus Rear Rack, lights, fenders ) with tube mounted 36 volt battery still $2,700. CDN plus taxes and shipping . This is the e-bike I’d find to be the best buy. As I could take it everywhere errands, grocery shopping and not worry about theft as there is no lock which would protect this for 5 minutes if left in a bicycle rack or street post. Just add a Burley Trovey 2 wheel trailer, fold bicycle in 20 seconds drop in grocery cart and your set to go for Groceries period! . A sturdy carry bag is an easy option even if the store forbids any bicycle on it’s premises for Groceries and Boom! Life is sweet. 😀

[…] Ohm Cycles offers a city and mountain bike style e-bikes. They have a design that centers the battery in the middle of the bike for a low center of gravity. These are high quality e-bikes with a comfortable ride. See my review of the Ohm XS 750 electric mountain bike. […]